Orange Marmalade

I generally prefer to use Valencia oranges for marmalade: they have the right balance of rind to pulp — juice oranges are too fleshy and navel oranges are too thick skinned. And Meyer lemons are a great substitution for regular lemons, if you can find them.–Marc Meyer and Peter Meehan

LC Bide Your Time Note

Making preserves isn’t always a time-consuming endeavor. This one, however, is a little fastidious. And it takes two days. Not of continual labor but of patient waiting for the pectin-filled orange juice to chill properly. Adjust your life accordingly.

This marmalade is the perfect accompaniment to freshly baked scones, hot-from-the-oven muffins, or, if you’re like us, by the teaspoonful straight from the jar.

Orange Marmalade Recipe

Ingredients

1 1/4poundsValencia oranges

1large or 2 smalllemons

4cupssugar

Directions

1. Wash the fruits well, then chop them roughly but thoroughly. You needn’t worry that the pieces are all the same size, just that they’re small enough to give the marmalade a pleasantly chunky texture. Remove seeds and discard.

2. Combine the fruit and 4 cups water in a medium nonreactive saucepan with a lid. Bring to a simmer over low heat, then remove the pan from the heat and cover. Let the mixture sit at room temperature for 24 hours.

3. Return the pot to the stove, turn the heat to medium, and simmer, uncovered, until the volume is reduced by half and the citrus rinds are tender, about 1 hour. Stir the pot from time to time and turn the heat down a touch if it looks or smells as though it’s scorching.

4. Once the fruit is tender, add the sugar a little at a time, stirring all the while, until you’ve added all 4 cups and it has dissolved. Turn the heat up to medium-high and boil until the mixture is thickened, not more than 15 to 20 minutes — it will slide off a spoon in sheets, not droplets, and a spoonful poured onto a cold plate should gel and seem firm. Keep in a tightly covered jar in the refrigerator.

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